Fairsail’s CMO on How Great Workplace Experiences Drive Employee Engagement

Fairsail Chief Marketing Officer Paul Burrin examined how exceptional workforce experiences can drive organizational growth during his presentation to Argyle's CHRO membership at the 2017 Human Capital Forum: Employee Experience in the Digital Era in San Francisco on March 22. In his presentation, "Why Delivering Great Workforce Experiences is Key to Improving Employee Engagement," Burrin described how positive workplace experiences can help an organization bolster its employee engagement levels.

According to Burrin, many organizations are leveraging technologies to drive HR improvements. However, technology alone is insufficient, and numerous organizations are starting to prioritize talent management and retention over technology.

"There is a pretty big shift that is starting to happen," Burrin said. "It's underpinned through the rapid changes in technology."

At the same time, many organizations frequently struggle with the technology they currently use. This technology may help organizations accomplish myriad day-to-day tasks but fails to provide organizations with the ability to keep pace in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

"Core processes are changing. But when you think about the technology that you need to support this, it's not in place," Burrin pointed out.

Today's HR professionals constantly compete for top talent and must find ways to connect with talent consistently. By doing so, HR professionals can help an organization drive immediate and long-term results.

"Really good people companies are able to attract the best workers and retain them – not just because [the companies] are great places to work, but also because of the culture and the way things get done."

However, the combination of talent and technology may only push an organization so far. For HR professionals, it is paramount to discover, engage and foster top talent. That way, employees are better equipped than ever before to put their best foot forward at all times.

"The fast-growing companies can't find the talent they're looking for," Burrin noted. "There's a skills crisis and a war for talent. When they find [talent], they can't keep them. And when [talent] is there, the people aren't actually giving all they got."

Organizations must embrace the shift from HR technologies and processes to a people-centric approach.

Without top talent in place, an organization will struggle to optimize its productivity and efficiency. Moreover, an organization must consider how it engages its employees and ensure these workers get the support they need to succeed.

"As we move from HR to people, companies themselves are fundamentally changing," Burrin stated. "People are the most the fundamental aspect of the business. People are not human resources or human capital management. They're people, so why don't we start thinking about them in the context?"

How an organization connects with its employees may dictate its success.

An organization that prioritizes the employee experience will go above and beyond the call of duty to connect with workers and learn from them. This organization also will provide employees with opportunities to share their ideas and drive innovation.

On the other hand, an organization that fails to engage its workforce risks losing top talent to rivals. Perhaps even worse, this organization may struggle to gain ground in a highly competitive global marketplace.

"The success of a business is fundamentally dependent on the people in the business," Burrin said. "The people in the business will either single-handedly make the business successful. Or, they will make [the business] fail."

HR professionals must develop a plan to engage employees and ensure these workers feel good about what they do.

"If companies cannot fully engage the people in their business so they can do their best work … then you're not going to get the best results."

Allocating time and resources to conduct periodic employee surveys may help HR professionals get a pulse of how workers feel about a company. In addition, HR professionals can provide open forums that encourage workers to share their thoughts and feelings about a business and respond to employee concerns and queries regularly.

"If companies cannot fully engage the people in their business so they can do their best work … then you're not going to get the best results," Burrin indicated.

Top talent is becoming exceedingly difficult to attract and retain, but an organization that emphasizes positive workplace experiences can stand out from the competition.

An organization that fosters camaraderie, collaboration and innovation can provide an engaging work environment. Meanwhile, this organization may be able to foster a loyal workforce that pushes each employee to give maximum effort every day.

Furthermore, positive work experiences can play an important role in building a culture of engagement.

"Really good people companies are able to attract the best workers and retain them – not just because [the companies] are great places to work, but also because of the culture and the way things get done," Burrin noted.

Motivated employees are difference-makers who can help an ordinary organization become an industry leader. As such, these workers can reap the benefits of positive workplace experiences and contribute to an organization's success both now and in the future.

ABOUT PAUL:

Paul Burrin, senior executive for Fairsail, is a progressive business development expert focused on the forces changing the nature of work, the workplace and the rise of the modern workforce. Burrin is an active panelist, commentator and contributor on how these changes are having a profound impact on both professional and personal lives, requiring a fundamental, potentially disruptive shift in management, leadership styles and technologies to keep people and teams engaged by delivering consistently great workforce experiences.